Political Quotes

“Today the Senate votes on whether to establish Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China. This issue has been the subject of longstanding and emotional debate. It is an issue which has divided the Congress, human rights groups and policy experts from across the spectrum. There are strong arguments on both sides--arguments I carefully weighed in deciding how to vote. In the past, I have opposed extending annual Most Favored Nation status to China because of concerns about China's egregious record on human rights and labor rights. By many accounts, including the State Department's, the situation there has deteriorated over the past year. Repression of political dissent, restrictions on freedom of religion and the persecution of ethnic minorities are realities of everyday life. I witnessed with my own eyes the tragedy that has befallen the people of Tibet, when I traveled there in 1988. For Vermonters, the young Tibetan and former Middlebury College student, Ngawang Choephel, and his mother, Sonam Dekyi, are the human faces of the hardships and injustices endured under Chinese rule.”